Day 98, The One with Ground Zero.....

New York Travel Blog

This morning Whitey and i got up around 10am, breakfasted and then headed out to Broadway to buy tickets for The Lion King! We were looking for the tickets priced around $85 but there were none left all week, so we though as we are now not going to a Knicks game, we could afford the $111 for the show. We got lucky and our tickets are 5th row, in the orchestra section!!!! We cant wait for tomorrow night now...

We then headed to Penn station and on to The Empire State Building. After buying the tickets, some Spanish guy trying to get in our picture and getting the lifts all the way up to the 86th floor, we went outside and explored the ovservation deck. It was an incredible view and luckily not too cold on most sides... The Chysler building and the downtown Manhattan skyscrapers are looking fantastic from up high but i personally though it was Central Park which looked the most spectacular. Amongst huge skyscrapers for as far as you can see, apart from the Hudson River, rised out this almost perfect triangle of green and it just looks crazy!

At the bottom we both decided we were really so we got the subway back to the hostel for some food. I got a phone card while we were there and called home. I was on the phone for aaaaaages and it was good speaking to everyone but i was on a pay phone outside and it was freezing again!

After i spoke to the family, we again caught the subway but this time, for the first time, we got off at The World Trade Center. You see Ground Zero immediately when you emerge from the station and straight away words seem to escape you. I really find it difficult to describe the feeling as i first saw the huge board entitled 'The Hereos of September 11th' A sver runs down the spine as you look along all the pictures of devastaion. We walked around the site to The World Financial Centre where we climbed a story to get a proper view of the site. We stood for about half an hour in complete silence taking the sight in. It must look complete different now that they have begun work on Freedom Tower, which looks spectacular, but still the image provokes such strong feelings. I couldnt help but imagine the sight as the planes hit two huge towers or the thousands of people running for their lives as they realised what was happening. There is a picture there with shows a couple of police officers and some other people running desperately for their lives as the clouds of debris close in behind them. It is so strange to think we stood where all that was going on.....

After we had taken eveything in, we went across the other side of the site and into Century 21, a huge designer discount department store which i first i thought i couldnt be bothered looking through, but which actually has some great stuff. I ended up buying some Calvin Klein boxers but am going back for more i think.

Darkness had set in so we just headed back to the hostel. We did have one small hitch as the subway flew past our stop but it was easily rectified and we were soon back and eating Bolognese....

We didnt have much to do in the evening so after i was on the Internet i ended up calling Lauren with my phone card....it was boss to speak to her and im excited for getting home.